Review Articles Open Access Aug 2026

The emergence of the modern-day Bhāṣyakāras in the discourse of modern Indian Philosophy

Nilambar Chakrabarti

This review essay examines Nalini Bhushan and Jay L. Garfield's new translation of Krishnachandra Bhattacharyya's Subject as Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2026), a text long regarded as philosophically significant yet notoriously difficult. It argues that the edition exceeds ordinary translation practice, functioning at once as translation, commentary, and interpretive intervention, and proposes that Bhushan and Garfield are best understood as contemporary bhāṣyakāras: active philosophical participants rather than neutral transmitters. The review discusses the editors' lexical choices, such as rendering "object" as "intentional object," and their extensive introduction, which situates the text within Bhattacharyya's engagement with Advaita Vedānta through the "bookend" works of 1925 and 1936. While affirming the sophistication of this Advaitic reading, the review questions whether it constrains the text's methodological independence, given Bhattacharyya's phenomenological idiom and his departures from traditional Advaitic vocabulary. It concludes that the edition's parallel text presentation and editorial apparatus make it the standard English entry point into Bhattacharyya's thought, restoring him to philosophical discussion beyond his usual classification as an Advaita representative alone.

10.63752/pijcace.0201S09

BibTeX Read →

Critical and Analytical Essays Open Access Aug 2026

From Sthāna to Samādhi: Reframing Nṛtta in the Nāṭyaśāstra through Yogic and Tantric Frameworks, with Extensions to South-east Asian Dance Traditions

Ashwini Srivatsan

This study proposes that there exists a deeper structural affinity between performance practice and philosophical inquiry than is commonly acknowledged. Grounded in the foundational insights of Piyal Bhattacharya on the metaphysics of embodiment in the Nāṭyaśāstra, this paper builds upon his framework by drawing upon philosophical systems such as Ashtanga Yoga and Kashmir Shaivism. More specifically, it argues that the process of nṛtta may be understood as analogous to the yogic or tantric progression toward states such as Samprajñāta samādhi. Within this mapping, sthāna (along with sthiti) corresponds to dhāraṇā (focused concentration), karaṇa to dhyāna (meditative absorption), and aṅgahāra to samādhi (complete integration). In this context, the paper further argues that the performer employs sthānas as an initial step toward depersonalization—shifting from individual identity toward a structured, archetypal presence. This transformation is not merely aesthetic but contemplative, requiring both technical precision and a deeply internalized state of awareness. Through this lens, Abhinavagupta’s engagement with the Nāṭyaśāstra can be seen as something that recognizes performance as a valid and potent pathway toward higher states of consciousness.

10.63752/pijcace.0201S03

BibTeX Read →

Critical and Analytical Essays Open Access Jun 2026

Śrī Caitanya Deva as a Connoisseur of Sāhitya Śāstra: A Critical Study of the Pañcadoṣa and Pañcālaṅkāra in Keśava Bhaṭṭa's Verse

Dr. Rakesh Das, Prolay Nandi

Śrī Caitanya Deva, revered in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition as the combined manifestation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Rādhā, is widely recognized for his philosophical contributions and devotional movement. This article highlights a less-explored dimension of his genius–his profound mastery of Sāhitya Śāstra (literary theory and poetics)–through a critical examination of his scholarly encounter with the Kashmirian digvijayī scholar Keśava Bhaṭṭa, as detailed in Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta and Caitanya Bhāgavata. During their meeting on the banks of the Gaṅgā, Keśava Bhaṭṭa, renowned for his extemporaneous composition (ghaṭikāśataka), composed one hundred verses glorifying the Gaṅgā. Caitanya selected one verse in the Śikharinī metre and subjected it to a masterful critique based on the principles of Alaṅkāraśāstra. He identified five poetic defects (pañcadoṣa)–two instances of avimṛṣṭavidheyāṃśa, viruddhamatikṛt, bhagnakrama, and punarātta–and five literary ornaments (pañcālaṅkāra): anuprāsa (alliteration), punaruktavadābhāsa, upamā (simile), virodhābhāsa (semblance of contradiction), and anumāna (inference). The article provides detailed definitions and textual analysis of each doṣa and alaṅkāra, drawing from authoritative texts like Sāhityadarpaṇa and Alaṅkārakaustubha. It demonstrates how Caitanya’s analysis reveals both the aesthetic strengths and compositional flaws of the verse, underscoring the primacy of doṣa-guṇa vicāra (critical evaluation of defects and merits) in poetic composition. This episode not only affirms Caitanya’s extraordinary erudition in Sanskrit poetics alongside grammar and philosophy but also exemplifies his humility and spiritual magnetism, which ultimately led to Keśava Bhaṭṭa’s surrender. The study thus illuminates Caitanya’s multifaceted brilliance as a consummate connoisseur of Sāhitya Śāstra.

10.63752/pijcace.0201S01

BibTeX Read →

Critical and Analytical Essays Open Access Mar 2026

Sādhāraṇīkaraṇa : Underlying Process for Experiencing Rasa

Dr Rakesh Das, Prolay Nandi

This article examines the concept of sādhāraṇīkaraṇa (generalization) as the indispensable condition for the experience of rasa in classical Indian poetics. While rasa is traditionally regarded as the soul of poetry, its realization requires the dissolution of specific spatial, temporal, and personal associations embedded in poetic elements such as vibhāva, anubhāva, vyabhicāribhāva, and sthāyibhāva. Through the process of generalization, these elements are freed from worldly limitations, allowing the sahṛdaya to experience emotions in a purified, universalized form. The study further argues that sādhāraṇīkaraṇa operates through a distinctive mode of aesthetic cognition that cannot be reduced to ordinary forms of knowledge such as illusion, doubt, or resemblance. By temporarily transcending self–other distinctions and worldly dualities, aesthetic experience approaches a Vedāntic state of non-duality and bliss. Thus, sādhāraṇīkaraṇa is shown to function not merely as a poetic mechanism but as a bridge between aesthetic enjoyment and metaphysical insight.

10.63752/pijcace.0102W02

BibTeX Read →

Critical and Analytical Essays Open Access Mar 2026

The Metaphysics of ‘Embodiment’ in Bharata’s System of Nāṭya: The Dynamics of ‘Extra-Daily’

Piyal Bhattacharya

This critical essay examines the metaphysical foundations of embodiment in Bharata's Nāṭyaśāstra, arguing that the sthānas, cārīs, and karaṇas are not merely physical movements but psychophysical embodiments of cosmic tattvas. Drawing on parallels between the cosmological unfolding described in Taittirīya Upaniṣad and the theatrical universe of nāṭya, this study demonstrates how Bharata systematically creates an 'extra-daily' performance dimension through consecrated space, non-empirical time (tāla), and embodied gravitational presence. The essay explores how expansion of space through sthānas manifests specific energies (rūpa and guṇa), how cārīs dynamically explore floor and aerial space, and how karaṇas serve as epistemological tools for acquiring embodied knowledge. Central to this analysis is the concept of Kaiśikī vṛtti, which transforms daily actions into extra-daily artistic expressions capable of generating alaukika rasa experience. This metaphysical framework reveals Bharata's system as a parallel universe creation on stage, where psychophysical embodiments serve the ultimate purpose of delivering dharmic teachings while elevating both performers and spectators beyond mundane emotional experiences.

10.63752/pijcace.0102W01

BibTeX Read →

Critical and Analytical Essays Open Access Mar 2026

Ideology as the Final Arbiter of Truth: A Critique

Nilambar Chakrabarti

This paper examines Pranab Kumar Sen's distinctive and comparatively lesser-known analysis of the concept of ideology, as articulated in his 1992 seminar paper "Philosophy, Science and Ideology," later included in Knowledge, Truth and Realism. While Sen is widely recognized for his contributions to debates on truth, meaning, logic, and the realism-anti-realism controversy, his reflections on ideology reveal a striking moment of intellectual courage. Against the prevailing and often populist invocations of ideology, Sen undertakes a conceptual inquiry into its very meaning. The paper focuses on one central issue Sen treats with seriousness: the relation between philosophy, science, and ideology. By identifying certain defining characteristics of ideology, such as dogmatism, closure to criticism, and resistance to self-correction, Sen argues that ideology is fundamentally incompatible with philosophy and science, both of which are essentially self-critical and epistemically open enterprises. This study reconstructs Sen's analysis of ideology without engaging the broader political-philosophical literature on the subject, as its primary concern is his conceptual framework. In doing so, it also offers a critical reflection on Sen's position, assessing its implications for understanding the normative role of philosophy in society.

10.63752/pijcace.0102W03

BibTeX Read →

Latest Announcements & News

Announcements

Call for Submission (Winter 2025)

Posted: 2025-09-20 15:33:37

The Poorvam International Journal of Creative Arts and Cultural Expressions (PIJCACE) invites submissions for its Winter 2025 issue.

Call for Submissions: Summer 2025 Issue

Posted: 2025-04-24 19:44:57

The Poorvam International Journal of Creative Arts and Cultural Expressions (PIJCCE) invites submissions for its Summer 2025 issue.

News

ISSN is Assigned

Posted: 2025-09-20 15:30:09

We are thrilled to share that Poorvam International Journal of Creative Arts and Cultural Expressions has officially been assigned an ISSN!

Announcing Poorvam 2.5.1 Beta

Posted: 2025-04-24 19:54:33

Our latest beta release is now available to the public, packed with powerful features and improvements as we gear up for the full launch.

Subscribe to Push Notifications

Advancing conversations in arts & culture

Upcoming Events 2

Featured Speakers 11

Dr. Bartholomew Ryan

Prof Ruth Vanita

Prof Monima Chadha

Swami Medhananda

Arjun Bharadwaj

Prof Dan Zahavi

Prof Nirmalya Narayan Chakraborty

Prof Jonardon Ganeri

Prof Madhucchanda Sen

Prof. Jay L. Garfield

Prof. Nalini Bhushan

Past Events 8

Emptiness, Mind, and the Global Turn in Philosophy

Professional Author Profiles

Verifiable Digital Certificates

Dedicated Editorial Support

Ethical & Transparent Publishing

Maximum Global Visibility

Crossref

Crossmark

Google Scholar

OpenAIRE

Semantic Scholar

OpenAlex

Scilit

OUCI

R Discovery

PORE

Discover Articles

Featured Content

Latest Announcements & News

Announcements

News

Contribute Your Work

Cookie Preferences

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Poorvam Research Companion

Advancing conversations
in arts & culture